The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
We got to do our alma matter, we must do our alma matter
When I was a little bitty boy
My grandmother bought me a cute little toy
Silver bells hanging on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Hmm, and then mama took me to grammar school
But I stopped off in the vestibule
Every time that bell would ring
Catch me playing with my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, that is beautiful
You know what I heard, I heard
I heard two girls over here singing in harmony, that's all right, honey
This is a free country, live like you wanna live, baby!
Yeah, ain't nobody gonna knock it, doll, mm-mm
Yeah, freedom
Yes sir, there's one guy right over here singin' "mine" too, that's all right, brother!
Yes sir, you got a right, baby, ain't nobody gonna bother you, tell you
Once I was climbing the garden wall
I slipped and had a terrible fall
I fell so hard I heard bells ring
But held on to my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Hmm, you know that's future parliament out there singin'?
Oh yeah! (yeah!)
Hmm, once I was swimming 'cross turtle creek
Man, them snappers all around my feet
Sure was hard swimming 'cross that thing
With both hands holding my ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
That's so beautiful
I think it's a beautiful little song, really I do
And guess what, everybody's still not singing
There's a few right down front here that's not singing
We're gonna dedicate this verse to those who will not sing, yes sir
Hmm, this here song it ain't so sad
The cutest little song you ever had
Those of you who will not sing
You must be playing with your own ding-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, your own, ding-a-ling, your own ding-a-ling, we saw you playing with your ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, everybody sing, I want to play with my, everybody
My ding-a-ling, oh, my, ding-a-ling
Slow down, I want to play, everybody, with my ding-a-ling!
When I was a little bitty boy
My grandmother bought me a cute little toy
Silver bells hanging on a string
She told me it was my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Hmm, and then mama took me to grammar school
But I stopped off in the vestibule
Every time that bell would ring
Catch me playing with my ding-a-ling-a-ling, oh
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, that is beautiful
You know what I heard, I heard
I heard two girls over here singing in harmony, that's all right, honey
This is a free country, live like you wanna live, baby!
Yeah, ain't nobody gonna knock it, doll, mm-mm
Yeah, freedom
Yes sir, there's one guy right over here singin' "mine" too, that's all right, brother!
Yes sir, you got a right, baby, ain't nobody gonna bother you, tell you
Once I was climbing the garden wall
I slipped and had a terrible fall
I fell so hard I heard bells ring
But held on to my ding-a-ling-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Hmm, you know that's future parliament out there singin'?
Oh yeah! (yeah!)
Hmm, once I was swimming 'cross turtle creek
Man, them snappers all around my feet
Sure was hard swimming 'cross that thing
With both hands holding my ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
That's so beautiful
I think it's a beautiful little song, really I do
And guess what, everybody's still not singing
There's a few right down front here that's not singing
We're gonna dedicate this verse to those who will not sing, yes sir
Hmm, this here song it ain't so sad
The cutest little song you ever had
Those of you who will not sing
You must be playing with your own ding-a-ling
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
My ding-a-ling, my ding-a-ling, I want you to play with my ding-a-ling!
Oh, your own, ding-a-ling, your own ding-a-ling, we saw you playing with your ding-a-ling
Oh, my ding-a-ling, everybody sing, I want to play with my, everybody
My ding-a-ling, oh, my, ding-a-ling
Slow down, I want to play, everybody, with my ding-a-ling!
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
with respect to teerbigear...
this song, which was later in his career is actually reminiscent of his original song writing style from his early Cosmopolitan Club days, when he went from playing standard blues songs to upbeat, lyrically light-hearted, hillbilly-esque, and race-friendly creations; the response he got from the audience from those early days motivated him to continue in that style, with some songs being a little more silly (ala ding-a-ling) than others.